


Article Five

by Emma_Oz



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Episode Related, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-22
Updated: 2013-01-22
Packaged: 2017-11-26 11:29:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/650060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emma_Oz/pseuds/Emma_Oz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In 2006 I wrote this response to the events of *Critical Mass*.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Article Five

 

Simpson was hesitant as she handed the document over.  'I'll understand if you don't want to. I know he's your friend.'

 

'He is my friend.  But I was born in Czecoslavakia.' Radek wrote his name carefully, making it slant less than usual so that it was quite clear.  

 

XXX

 

Katie Brown gave her a cookie. 'I'm ashamed I didn't think of doing this myself.  Where do I sign?'

 

She pointed to the end of the list; she had gone through the physical scientists first as they were easiest to contact surreptitiously.

 

The redhead shot her a measuring look. 'I know you liked Kavanagh.  I don't know what you see in him, but...'

 

The ball of emotions in her chest expanded and she pulled out one of the most easily identifiable. 'That's not what's important.  What happened to him was wrong and I refuse to live in a society which allows such behaviour.'

 

XXX

 

'I wish I could give this to Carson to read.'

 

'That's really not -'

 

Biro waved aside Simpson's interruption. 'I know I shouldn’t show it to anyone on the council.  I was just saying.'

 

Simpson handed a pen over.

 

'He wasn't at the council where the decision was made, you know.' Biro looked at her. 'He's a good man. I know he would have said something.'

 

Simpson shrugged.  There were rumours about what had happened in the closed session where the decision to torture was made, but she tried not to think about how their leaders had reached that point.

 

XXX

 

Howard refused to sign.  'Sorry,' he said slowly, 'I wish it hadn't happened but we were under attack.'

 

'You're saying it was necessary.'  She tried to keep her voice expressionless but her face must have given her away.

 

'I'm saying I would rather not have Atlantis blown up.  And the guy was a jerk.'

 

Simpson retreated from him.

 

XXX

 

Wong signed it neatly in both western script and her native calligraphy.  'Kavanagh was an annoying man but the way he treated was unconscionable,' she said briskly.

 

She turned back to her experiment and Simpson accepted her dismissal.

 

XXX

 

Parrish wrinkled his nose as he wrote his signature, a sure sign he was troubled. 'Is there any reason why you are only approaching civilians?'

 

'You mean going to the goons?'

 

He shot her a look and she smiled placatingly at him.  She'd noticed how scientists who went off world almost invariably became much friendlier with the military.  'Wouldn't they have to report it?'

 

'I don't see why.'

 

She hesitated.

 

'You're asking them to not do something they are meant to not be doing anyway.  They are meant to not torture people.  It's in their general code of conduct or whatever it's called.'

 

'I get that but -'

 

'I could give it to Ev - to Major Lorne.  He would know who could be trusted.'

 

'I'll think about it.' She took back the petition, now with several pages of signatures attached to it.

 

XXX

 

Miko blushed when Simpson handed her the document, but then again she blushed pretty much when anyone looked at her.  'Of course I'll sign it.'

 

'I just thought that... because of Rodney and...'

 

Miko looked fiercely at her, the expression unfamiliar on her gentle face. 'Dr McKay is a great man.  It is an honour to work with him.  You know as well as I do that he was against the decision.'

 

'I know,' she said quietly. 'I really do believe that he thought it was wrong.'

 

XXX

 

Ivaniski gave her a glass of moonshine and cadged her promise to help with rewiring some crystals before signing.  'It’s not going to make any difference, you know.’

 

'Perhaps if we work-'

 

He laughed and took another swig from his bottle.

 

XXX

 

Despite her best efforts, her hands were trembling when she passed the document to McKay.  She felt almost as bad as she had when she was defending her doctoral thesis.  

 

He glanced at it and his eyes widened. The petition called for a guarantee that Atlantis operated under international law, a promise that torture was prohibited and a request for an immediate and unconditional apology to Kavanagh.  It was signed by just under a third of the city's inhabitants.

 

'I'd like you to pass this on to the governing council.’ She added quickly, 'In your capacity as head of department.'

 

His eyes flashed and she feared one of the famous McKay outbursts, but he smiled at her and said 'My pleasure.'

 

He put it down carefully.

 

XXX

 

She did not like to think about what happened in the council in which the decision was made.  Of course he was annoying, of course he was an idiot not to decrypt his messages when he was asked, but none of that justified deciding to hurt him.  The fact that Ronan had been prevented from torturing him by chance and Kavanagh's own over-active imagination was no excuse; it was merely lucky.  

 

She didn't like to think that her position on Atlantis was potentially as easily undermined as his had been, that the council could act as they chose and not be governed by international laws.  She didn’t like to think about the fact that the leaders of the expedition had not been reprimanded for their actions, and that as far as she could tell Stargate Command accepted them.

 

But she did like to think about how the petition would be received in council, about the expression of relief mingled with shame and hope in McKay's face as he had taken it from her, and about the possibility of change in the future.

 

 


End file.
